1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling system for electric apparatus, and more specifically to a cooling system for electric apparatus mounted in a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-62781 (JP-A-2008-62781) and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-62780 (JP-A-2008-62780), for example, describe the cooling structure for electric apparatus.
JP-A-2008-62781 describes a cooling structure for electric apparatus in the vehicle, in which a power supply unit arranged under a floor in the back of a seat is constituted with a battery module and a DCDC converter and a motor driving inverter that are disposed above the battery module. In this cooling structure, the air flowing from the vehicle front to the vehicle rear is spread vertically and cools the battery module, the DCDC converter, and the motor driving inverter at the same time. According to this cooling structure for electric apparatus, an overall size of the power supply unit can be reduced; cooling effect on the battery module, the DCDC converter, and the motor driving inverter can be enhanced by blowing the low temperature air before heat exchange on all of these devices; and a cooling fan, disposed in a downstream side of a merging section of the air, can be made compact and inexpensive because of the capability to reduce a pressure loss of the air.
JP-A-2008-62780 describes a cooling structure for electric apparatus in a vehicle, in which a power supply unit arranged under a floor in the back of a seat is constituted with a battery module arranged on the lower side and a DCDC converter and a motor driving inverter arranged on the upper side of the battery module in the vehicle width direction. In this cooling structure, the air flowing from the vehicle front to the vehicle rear is spread vertically and cools the battery module, the DCDC converter, and motor driving inverter in at the same time. According to this cooling structure for electric apparatus, an overall size of the power supply unit can be reduced by simplifying a cooling air passage, mountability to the vehicle can accordingly be enhanced, and also the cooling effect on the battery module, the DCDC converter, and the motor driving inverter can be enhanced by blowing the low temperature cooling air before heat exchange on all of these devices.
A disadvantage of the above-mentioned cooling structure for electric apparatus is that the heated air after cooling the converter may be used again for cooling the converter and, as a result the DCDC converter cannot be cooled efficiently.